For the last 40 years, the lives of the Israelites in the desert had been consistent – manna in the morning, the cloud by day and the fire by night and even their shoes lasted forever! But this was all changing now. They were standing on the border, ready to cross over the river into the land that had been set aside for them, from the past to the future and from what they had known to what was unknown.

This sounded just like us over these past few months. Our lives, on track just a short time ago (or so we thought) have been changed in so many ways and we too are facing unchartered territory ahead.

In Joshua 3:6, the priests were commanded  to take up the ark and pass on ahead of the people into the water. As they obeyed, the Jordan River, now in full tide, subsided and allowed them to step into the water. Joshua commanded the priests to stop in the middle of the Jordan ( Joshua 3:17 ) while all of the people passed by until the whole nation of around three million people had crossed over. And then in Joshua 4:11, the ark and the priests were commanded to come in behind the people and step onto the other side of the Jordan River. 

God’s amazing miracle of holding back the water was repeated again as it had been in the Red Sea crossing 40 years earlier. At the Jordan, the priests carried the ark ahead of the people, it was held in the middle of the river while they went through and then it followed behind.

And as I read the story of the Israelites and asked for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to bring fresh revelation, I began to see the similarities between the Israelites then and our own circumstances today. I saw a new perspective on this story. 

In the Old Testament times, the ark represented the power and the glory and the presence of God. When the ark was present, success was certain and when it was not, defeat was likely. And that is what struck me as I read the story again – God’s presence was with His people before they went in the river, it was beside His people while they were in the Jordan and it was behind His people as they came out. He goes before us, God is the captain of our salvation. He goes with us – He is Emmanuel and He follows after us, protecting us from behind. Isn’t that the same for us? We can trust in God to be there in every situation that we face. We can trust that, as we step out in His will, God will go ahead of us, He will be with us and He will continue to protect us.  

Whatever God’s people are facing, the Red Sea, the Jordan river or our own situation today, God’s presence is always with us. 

The post In Transition appeared first on Dove Ministries.

Lazarus had been dead for four days, and in those times, Jewish mysticism taught that a dead person’s spirit remained around the body for up to three days before departing. It was well-known in Israel that someone deceased could come back to life during this three day period, but on the fourth day, the spirit left the body and went to Sheol or Hades. 

When Lazarus first became sick, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus to come and heal their brother. They believed that the Master could make him well but when they called for Jesus, He did not come. In fact, we read in John: 11 that, when Jesus heard the news of Lazarus death, He remained two more days in the place where He was staying.

Finally, on the fourth day, Jesus appeared at the edge of the city and Martha and then Mary, ran to meet Him.

No doubt Martha was glad to see Him, but maybe she was also upset that He had not come earlier and mad too, and she may have said to Him in frustration and anger, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21).

Perhaps, because of the changes in our lives right now, you too might be angry or sad or mad. Maybe you believe that there is something in your life that has not worked out as you planned. Perhaps it is a marriage or a relationship or a business or a dream or a ministry that has been cut short or died and it cannot be brought back to life. Perhaps it is children who are not on track or a person or an investment and it seems too far gone to be saved. Maybe our new normal right now has brought sadness and loss and disappointment into your life.

Martha knew that after four days, the body of Lazarus would be decaying and that there was no hope for life without a miracle. 

But Jesus had told His disciples in John 11:4, This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Jesus was true to His word. He wept. He showed His love and compassion for the family and He hurried to the tomb. He called forth life and for the graveclothes to be loosed and for ‘he who had died to come out’ (John 11:46).

When Jesus called Lazarus to life from the dead on the fourth day and healed his rotted corpse, the people knew that He was indeed the true Messiah performing genuine miracles as the prophets had foretold. The Son of God was glorified. 

For all of us, around the world, this is a time like no other. 2000 years ago, there was also a time like no other, when Jesus was beaten and battered and tried unfairly and died on a cross at Calvary. Like Lazarus, He was raised supernaturally from the dead but His purpose was to take on the sins and cares and concerns of the world, to love us and to bring us into eternal life. He died for us, to stand in the gap of righteousness for us before the Father and to bring us, as Lazarus, into new life.

Like Mary and Martha, we discover that as we step out and run to Jesus, He will meet us . Whether we are sad or glad or mad, He meets us wherever we are at. Whatever our circumstances – alone, in lockdown, in anger, in disappointment, in hurt, in grief, Jesus is with us.

We can choose to come to Jesus, no matter how we feel. He will meet us where we are, because that is who He is. We can believe in His miracle working power, because that is why He came –  to raise dead things to life, to bring new life into old dreams and to bring resurrection into that which we thought was rotten and decayed.

Hallelujah – 2000 years ago, at a time like no other, a man arose to bring eternal life to the world. And we can believe, at this time like no other, for that same miracle working power to loose our grave clothes and to call each one of us forth into new life.

The post Will you meet Jesus? appeared first on Dove Ministries.

So often we can be overwhelmed with the challenges of life.

Many of the issues that we are dealing with today are different from those of even 10 or 15 years ago.

And, as we reflect on the fast pace of our lives and on the consuming desire for more that society encourages us to experience, I know that many folk are questioning if this is really  how life was intended to be.

People are looking for answers.

As Christians, we know that the Bible has the answer for every situation and every issue that concerns us.

Proverbs in particular, gives us practical, positive solutions to so many of life’s daily concerns and the Psalms bring both direction and comfort.

But are we sharing this wisdom with others? Are we seeking those who need to hear biblical answers and walking with them in their concerns?

Each one of us has a testimony about the love of God in our own lives and about how the words of the scriptures have helped and encouraged us on our journey.

When we use our voices, and speak out our story, God works in the lives of others through that message.

Our story is unique to each one of us and as we follow and worship God and read the Bible, our own special sound grows inside of us and builds our strength and our spirit.

Then, when we open our mouths and bring forth our sound, what has been planted and nurtured on the inside, begins to work in the lives of those on the outside.

Be bold – when we proclaim that God still speaks, we need to be sure that we are speaking as well.

The post Our Story appeared first on Dove Ministries.

Before I left, I felt that this trip was indeed a divine appointment but I did not realise quite how powerful an experience it would be until I reached Greece. The journey began in the Jordanian desert and I had a first hand understanding of the sun, the rocks and the relentlessness of the desert sand. I travelled to Israel and followed Jesus path, from Bethlehem to Galilee to Caesarea Philippi and then onto Jerusalem and His passion. I touched the place where Jesus was born, cried where He died and knelt where He was buried.

In Greece, I visited Corinth and the Acropolis but it was in Patmos that I received a blessing beyond what I had ever imagined. I visited the cave where John heard the word from God which became known as of The Book of Revelation. And as I got down on my hands and knees and lay on the floor of that same cave, I believe that I too received a revelation.
No, I did not hear a word about writing the Book of Kaylene or bringing forth a new gospel! But I heard God speaking to me and He was letting me know that it was indeed the very same God who spoke to John all those years ago who was speaking to me right at that moment.

On that trip from Moses to Revelation, right at the end, I was reminded by God Himself that the same God who spoke to John in the cave and to  me speaks to us all. He waits for us, not just in the cave but in our hearts and our spirits, to turn to Him afresh and receive all that He has for us.

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Our neighbour is anyone we encounter.

The story of the Good Samaritan is a parable about God’s concern for every person, regardless of their status or culture or position in society .

Samaritans were considered a low class of people and the Jews would have nothing to do with them, but when the Samaritan came across a man who had been beaten and robbed, he was the only person who helped him. The Samaritan exhibited the true heart of God and his receptiveness shows an attitude of openness and availability, a preparedness to be generous in every circumstance.

Generosity is a way that we can choose to live, a way that we can exhibit the compassion and love of God every day and in every situation.

Let’s live like the Samaritan and always be available to help our neighbour.

The post Who is our neighbour? appeared first on Dove Ministries.

The information about the trip was sent to me by a friend early in 2017 and as it came across my desk, I felt a prompting by the Holy Spirit to look further into it. I am so glad that I did, because as I prayed about it, I felt a commitment to go ahead and make the deposit.

I also began praying for the opportunity to make divine connections everywhere I travel and especially in this land of God’s chosen people. I believe God is already revealing to me those along the way who He would want me to meet. I have been praying for protection on the journey and for travel mercies and the covering of God as I fly across the world and move through different time zones and into new countries.

It is hard to beat praying in advance. I know that God will make the way –  for whatever He ordains, He will provide for.

As I travel, I can rely on the words of Psalm 138,
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.

The post God Goes Ahead of Us appeared first on Dove Ministries.

In the daily challenge of getting through our tasks and ticking off the lists we have, it is easy to lose sight of who we are and who God is. But as children of the promise of God, we are created to be His children, to carry His identity and to be citizens of heaven here on earth. 

I will be speaking about this at the Seers Conference with Ps Reg Morias at the Living Faith Community Church in Perth and if you are in the area, I would love you to join me.

Read more about this amazing conference here.

The Seers Conference in Perth from Dove Ministries on Vimeo.

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When Billy Graham was asked in an interview as to how he saw himself and his role, this was his answer.

And from the age of 16, when he became a Christian until he passed just now into glory, Billy Graham was faithful to that promise.

I am reminded of another Bill who stayed true to all that God called him to and for me, these two men will live forever as generals in the Kingdom of God.

“The secret of my work is God – I would be nothing without Him”.

The post Billy Graham appeared first on Dove Ministries.

The new year is a wonderful time to make those changes, to begin moving on those plans and to put those hopes on fast track.

But perhaps, like me, you might look at yourself a few weeks into the year and find that nothing has changed – nothing has happened about those dreams and you are still doing the same things you did last year.

Don’t worry. God has it in hand! Abraham tried to establish his own family when God promised that he would have as many descendants as stars in the sky.
But when he and Sarah were nearly 100 years old, their own son, Isaac was born.
David was shunned by his family and given the lowliest job as a shepard, but God had a plan for him that changed the nation and the world.

Our own plans may have not worked out and we might feel that we have to take a lesser option or second best.

But I have found that our plan B is Gods plan A. He always has a bigger picture, much of which we can’t see yet and when we follow the path that He has prepared, we will always be on the right track.

God can turn our disappointments into opportunities and our hopes and dreams into realities. When we give our plans over to Him and trust in the outcome, our Plan B can become Gods great Plan A.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to give you a future and a hope.” 

– Jeremiah 29:11

God’s Plan A from Dove Ministries on Vimeo.

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Valentine’s Day is a particular favourite.  She begins by asking people if they had their front driveways backed up with trucks and vans delivering gifts – chocolates and flowers and various sized packages .

When they look blankly at her (which they invariably do) she begins to giggle and walks away with a suggestive look as if she indeed has received all of the above!

We don’t have to spend our Valentines Day being teased or looking out of the window waiting for a present. The greatest gift we can ever receive is Jesus Christ and we can ask them into our hearts right now.

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